The disclosure relates generally to dispensing central processing unit (CPU) time in a multi-programmed computing system, and more specifically, to a calculation technique by which any partition of a multi-programmed computing system calculates an amount of CPU power in which that partition would be able to acquire from the multi-programmed computing system, had that partition tried to acquire as much CPU power as the multi-programmed computing system would allow.
In general, a supervisor of a multi-programmed computing system (e.g., such as the IBM System z PR/SM hypervisor or the z/VM Control Program) executes a plurality of dispatchable units, which are referred herein as partitions. Associated with each partition is a weight (e.g., expression of relative importance), which expresses how the supervisor should divide or parcel out the CPU power among partitions when CPU power available for dispensing is constrained (e.g., when a state of the multi-programmed computing system is constrained). Yet, present mechanisms of the multi-programmed computing system are unable to account for situations such as when several partitions are under-consuming or when one single partition has very high demand for CPU power and is therefore over-consuming very heavily. Thus, the present mechanisms enable a given partition of a plurality of partitions to make incorrect (i.e., insufficiently aggressive) configuration or provisioning decisions with respect to acquiring CPU power.